Sparklers
by Zandrellia
Summary: Time warping wells are odd little contraptions that work at odd little moments. On holiday, a 7 year old Kagome Higurashi finds herself in an unknown world and meets with a young yōkai boy! OneShot


Sparkers

By Zandrellia

Summary: Time warping wells are odd little contraptions that work at odd little moments. On holiday, a 7 year old Kagome Higurashi finds herself in an unknown world and meets with a young yōkai boy!

Chapter One: Sparklers

"Don't run off too far, honey!"

The little girl, dressed in a holiday kimono turned to the woman and smiled, holding up her hand and waving. "I won't, mama!" She turned back the way she came in a half skip and laughed as she swung her arm out, holding out the sparkler to the evening air. Stopping in the rear yard she gave a little pout and stared at it. They were so much prettier in the dark. Looking around she spotted the well house with its heavy door ajar, a shrine visitor must have left it by accident. With a grin she took a glance around, checking to assure she wouldn't be caught; children weren't allowed in the well house without an adult. Assuring that the coast was clear she darted for the building and squeezed inside, laughing as the sparkler shined even brighter in the darkness of the room. There was just one problem. It still wasn't dark enough! For a moment she stared at the emptiness of the well house and then a look of firm confidence crossed her face as she went to the door and pulled it shut. Perfect! She held the sparkler out and hopped around the area, waving it through the air when, just as the last moments of light flickered out, she felt the heel of her sandal hit the rim of the well. The momentum was too much for her tiny body and with a scream and a tight close of her eyes she was sent reeling down into the depths of the well, both shoes slipping off in the fall.

When she hit the ground hard she let out another cry and then immediately covered her head with her arms, thinking that she would get hit with her falling shoes. Ten minutes later she finally looked up only to gasp, eyes going wide with wonder. Clear blue sky that twinkled with stars hovered above her. Standing up and dusting herself off she looked around the dingy well, trying to figure out just what had happened. "Where am I?"

It took her a whole forty-five minutes to climb out of the well and she became very dirty, hair falling out of place from the little bun it was in to fall around her face. As she finally cleared the lip of the well she turned around slowly, glancing at the surroundings only to see a field of fireflies in the distance. "Pretty!" She ran towards them, dancing among them and laughing and for the second time that evening, she tripped. Her foot caught in a raised root and she slipped roughly against dirt. "Ouch." She sat up and huffed, wisps of hair floating out with her breath. At that moment was when she noticed that she had an audience. She brought her hands up, rubbing at her eyes. "I must be sleepy." She mumbled to herself and then blinked a few times before looking towards the boy again.

He was crouched before her, head cocked to one side and looking at her intently with one eyebrow raised in question. "What were you doing out there?" The way he said it, and especially the way his voice came across, lead her to believe that he was being mean to her. She was absolutely correct in that assumption, of course, but she wouldn't have known that this very boy was not known for curiosity. "Well, are you dumb?"

Her face scrunched up and she frowned, pushing herself up from the ground and dusting the dirt away. "No! I'm not dumb!" She stuck her tongue out at him and then turned away to walk back the way she came. It was late and she wanted her bed.

"You certainly talk funny." She stopped, eyes going wide and then turned back on him with an angry look on her face. He smirked and then walked up to her, pointing towards the direction she had been heading. "Do you live in that village?"

"No! Why should I tell you anything? You're mean!" She crossed her arms and turned away from him in the spitting image of her mother when she became angry with her father. The boy merely stepped around until he was in front of her, while he was circling her he sniffed the air and her mouth dropped open in a rather disgusted looking face.

"You smell funny, too." Tears welled in her eyes at this and she pushed past him to walk through the field of fireflies. Somehow, though, he caught up with her and was already digging through her obi. She screamed and pushed against him causing them both to fall, she on the ground and he on top of her. Her face turned red but he didn't seem to notice as he lifted his hand and examined the small black stick. "Explain."

The area was quiet for a while before she let out a little sob and covered her face with both her hands. "It's a sparkler! You can keep it, just get off me!" He didn't move, just stared down at her with a hard look, eyebrow rising again.

"What is a i sparkler /i and why are you behaving so odd?" Her hands parted and she stared at him, mouth agape.

"I'm not the one who's odd! Get off me! Please!" He stared down at her for a moment and she gasped before looking towards the sparkler. Apparently he wouldn't let her go until she explained its purpose. "I, um a sparkler is kind of like a firework. You light the end on fire and it creates sparks of light."

Silence filled the area as he turned his gaze to the sparkler and seemed to consider this before stuffing it into his own clothing, hidden away from view. "What is your name?"

She blinked and then closed her eyes, turning her head away from him with a sigh. "Kagome, my name is Kagome." Then he stood and held out his hand to her. She opened her eyes as the weight lifted off her body and she reached out to take his hand, pulling herself up with the help. He turned and started to walk back the way he came when she called out to him. "You didn't tell me your name!"

He paused, never turning to her. "Sesshōmaru." Then he was gone.

Kagome ran to the well, standing on the rim and looking into the depths below. Hopefully it would return her to her home. This was obviously not it. That boy looked nothing like boys from where she lived. Before she jumped she turned and looked back in towards the fireflies, wondering if she would ever meet that boy again.

It was possible, but probably not.

She closed her eyes and inhaled before flexing her legs and jumping into the well. Her body fell and when she crashed into the ground and opened her eyes she was once more inside the well. "Kagome? Kagome, where are you?"

It was her mother. "Mama! I'm in here!" She cried out and the door to the well house opened. Her mother and grandfather came rushing in. "I fell down!" Her grandfather left quickly.

"Kagome! Are you okay?" The girl nodded and her grandfather returned with a ladder, lowering it into the well. Kagome glanced around and picked up her shoes before climbing up the ladder and out into the waiting embrace of her mother. "Oh my poor child, it must have been terrifying to be in there all evening."

"Not so bad." Kagome grinned and followed her mother back into the house. Her grandfather stared down at the well, mumbling to himself about seals and protections.

Neither boy nor girl would remember their meeting. Both would live full lives full of so many memories that the one where they met each other in a field full of fireflies would fade away like a dream. The girl would always have a memory of golden eyes and the boy would always wonder how he had come into possession of a sparkler and yes, oh yes, they would meet again.

**The End**


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